Explosive and process of making sarse



UNITED STATES Patented February 9, 1904;.

ATENT FFICE,

EXPLOSIVE AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,751, dated. February 9 1904.

Application filed October 10, 1903. Serial No. 176A87. (No'speoimena) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BOAZ D. PIKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Fran cisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Explosives and Processes of Manufacturing the Same, of which the following is a specification.

All explosives that contain metallic salts such, for example, as the various explosive mixtures containing chlorate of pota share more or less dangerous to handle and are also liable to deteriorate in strength and other qualities after manufacture. This is especially the case when explosives of such class are kept in a damp place or are exposed to moisture or extremes of temperature, and for preventing the action or effect of such agents on the explosive various substances have been utilized and employed as a covering or coating to protect the granules or particles, both by preventing physical contact of the particles of the metallic salts among themselves and with the other ingredients in the mass and in addition to such isolating qualities giving the metallic salts the power or property of resisting or repelling moisture, for in proportion as the metallic salts are rendered incapable of absorbing moisture and are kept from actual physical contact in the mass the mixture will increase in value and strength as an explosive.

My present improvement pertains chiefly to the application, copibination, and use in and with explosives of the class or description before mentioned of the substance or produce known as china-nut oil as an agent or medium to cover and protect the granules from mo sture and atmospheric influences, and also to isolate the particles from one another to the extent of preventing physical contact.

It relates also to the production of an explosive possessing in a high degree the qualities of safety during its manufacture, handling, and

transportation, of retaining its strength and. exploslve properties under exposure to extremes of temperature and changes of climate, and being unaifected by dampness or moisture.

The invention is based on the discovery I have made that the substance: or product nown as china-nut oil is peculiarly adaptin these compounds or mixtures containing metallic salts? When properly incorporated in explosive mixtures of this class,- it forms a protective coating that is permanent in its qualities and properties, undergoingno change or deterioration by exposure to changes of temperature or climate or lapse of time between the manufacture of the explosive and its use. It is, adhesive, elastic, and coherent to a high degree. It is also rich in carbon in a most advantageous form, being itself a hydrocarbon. It is also found to simplify the process of manufacturing explosives of this class or description and to materially reduce their cost. This substance (china-nut oil). is found to combine or mix readily with other hydrocarbons in a liquid state, and particularly with petroleum and any of the distillates of petroleum, thus enabling the proportions of metallic salts, carbon, and-sulfur in explosives of this class to be varied as may be found necessary to regulate the sensitiver ss: of the mixture to detonationand explosion for s cific purposes.

My invention therefore consists, essentially, in the application, combination, or-mixture of the substance china-nut oil in and with explosives containing metallic salts and in the production and manufacture of a high-grade explosive composed of a metallic salt, carbon, sulfur, and china-nut oil, as'hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In applyingand carrying out my said improvement in the manufacture of black gunpowder or black blasting-powder,which are generally composed of nitrate of potash or nitrate of soda, sulfur, and charcoal, 1 add the china-nut oil in about the proportions of eight per cent, by weight, of the other ingredients. A powder of this grade or quality will consist of the above-named ingredients in about the following proportions: nitrate of potash, (or nitrate of. soda,) seventy-five parts; sulfur, ten parts; wood-charcoal, fifteen parts. After the substances are finely powdered and dried "the china-nut oil is added to the nitrate and thoroughly incorporated until every particle is covered with the. oil. The

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' charcoal and nitrate are then mixed, and finally the sulfur is added and all well mixed together. The product is then granulated in the usual manner by passing it through sieves, or it can be pressed into blocks of any desired form.

The manufacture of this class of powder need not be confined'to the use of wood-charcoal for the solid carbon element, for stonecoal or other forms of carbonaceous material in a solid form can be substituted for the woodcharcoalwhen it is desired to change the specific gravity of the explosive or for the further object of varying its intensity.

The china-nut oil being very rich in carbon allows the proportion of charcoal to be reduced, and in practice it has been found that five per cent. of charcoal can be used with good results with the china-nut oil in the production of an explosive according to the foregoing formula.

Gunpowder or blasting-powder composed of the above-named ingredients with the additionof the china-nut oil possesses several advantages over the ordinary mixtures or compounds containing no china-nut oil. They are not affected by exposure to moist atmospheres, and they will not deteriorate rapidly when used for blasting in dampv or wet ground. They are also much slower in action, thereby reducing the breech pressure in the case of gunpowder and increasing the efficiency of the blasting-powder 1n working in coal or soft rock.

In the production of an explosive contain-' ing chlorate of potash the proportions of china-nut oil can be varied to advantage. A good formula for an explosive of this character consists of chlorate of potash, seventyfive parts; sulfur, ten parts; wood-pulp, five parts; china-nut oil, ten parts, by weight. The chlorate of potash should be reduced to a very fine powder and dried before the ch inanut oil is added, and after the oil is thoroughly mixed and incorporated, so as to cover every particle of the chlorate, the sulfur and the wood-pulp should be separately and thorougly mixed with the covered particles of the chlorate. 'llhe mixture is now ready for granulating by passing it through sieves, or it is pressed into blocks or loaded into paper or metallic shells. This chlorateofp ash powder is not affected by atmospheric :.:1oisture, and it can be stored for an indefinite period without deteriorating in strength. It is a powerful explosive well adapted for use in blasting hard rock.

Another strong powder is produced by mixing nitrate of soda or nitrate of potash with chlorate of potash in the following proportions: chlorate of potash, forty-five parts; nitrate of soda, (or nitrate of potash,) thirty parts; sulfur, ten parts; wood-charcoal, five 1i arts; ehina-nut oil, ten parts. These ingredients are mixed in the manner above described, the chlorate of potash and the chinanut oil being first combined and afterward the remaining ingredients mixed and incorporated with the chlorate in the order named.

It will be obvious to those who are skilled in the production of. explosives from chlorate of stances that the proportions of the chlorate of potash and nitrate of soda or nitrate of potash can be varied to produce powders of different degrees of strength and sensitiveness, and I give the foregoing formula only as an example of one grade of such an explosive.

the metallic salts from moisture. It retains its elasticity and adhesiveness under exposure it does not become brittle or deteriorate in causes after being mixed with the other sub? stances in the compound, so that it forms both a perfect buffer between the particles particles in the compound. In these particulars it differs materially from many of the fore used for like purposes, such as coal-tar, wood tar, pitch, asphaltum, paraffin, and maltha.

i am aware that many vegetable oils have also been employed to accomplish the same end; but I have found by prolonged experiments that none of those which have been emclass of explosive can be relied on to remain .so constant and unchanged in their properties as this substance, china-nut oil. All explosives containing this oil require to be fired or detonated by a strong fulminate-of-mercury cap.

Having thus described. my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An explosive compound composed of oxygen-bearing metallic salts, carbon, sulfur and china-nut oil.

2. An explosive compound omposed of oxygen-bearing metallic salts, carbon and sulfur, in the form of granules covered by a coating of china-nut oil.

of explosive compounds containing oxygento variations of climate and temperatures,v and,

other characteristics by oxidation or other covered by it and also prevents chemical ac-'- tion and changes taking place between the liquid and semiliquid hydrocarbons hereto' ployed heretofore in the production of this.

potash and other similar oxygen-bearing sub- A powerful explosive can also be produced prevent premature explosion and to protect 3. That improvement in the manufacture bearing metallic s'alts, consisting in reducing In testimony whereof I have hereunto set the salts to a fine powder, then adding chinamy name to this specification 1n the presence nut Oll in about the proportions specified and of two subscribing Witnesses.

incorporating the same so as to coat the parti- BOAZ D. PIKE. 5 ,eles of the salts, and afterward adding the ear- Witnesses:

bon and sulfur previously pulverized and mix- EDWARD E. OSBORN,

ing all the ingredients together. M. REGNER. 

